Elora, it is good to see you back on TORC and writing too!! This must have taken quite the while to write. I have just read 5 or 6 posts so far, but I will get to it all as I have the time on the computer.

Hope all else is well for you down under!! I have thought of you often.

Hail and well met, Rwhen! Yes, I have been a prodigal TORCer. It's taken a while and I've attempted to return before. Hopefuly, this time it sticks. I think enough time has elapsed now that I can look back on earlier years and time spent with dear ones no longer on this mortal coil without finding TORC too painful a place to be.

I'm so very glad you're still here, Rwhen. You're one of the wonderful people that kept me persisting in my earlier attempts to return to TORC.

Yes indeed, this tale is taking quite some time and seems set to continue for a while yet if the plans my co-conspirator and I have are any indication.

I made a boo-boo yesterday when transferring it to TORC, and omitted a certain episode involving cheese and Edoras. So I have been busy re-ordering things to insert said episode. I do hope that doesn't mess you up in terms of where you are up to.

The spelling and grammar are singularly atrocious. I make no excuses, offer no reasons. I simply acknowledge that this is what happens when two writers are let loose without the guiding hand of an editor. I apologise, and I give fair warning that the errors will continue...though I do my best to correct them as we go.

Probably this weekend I should have some time to get my teeth into this and no worries, I am able to sort out typos and such. There is such a body of work to read already.

Isn't it strange, funny, crazy how life keeps evolving and how we have to react and grow with the changes. At this point in life (looking sixty square in the eyeballs) I am just happy to be content. I hope that you are also content and that life gets nothing but better for you.

I recall that you really are a very good RP/writer. So I do look forward to reading and then following the story that you and your co-writer have cooked up.

Elora, what a beautiful story you and your "co-conspirator" weave.
It is hard to determine who writes what which shows the complicity there... there is hardly a break in the style. At least none that I can see.

I have read it all and have found myself hooked and brought to deep emotions.
With all the twists and turns - all of them convincing - I was actually afraid Hanasian and Rin would not manage to get married .

I look forward to reading the rest... that "plant" in the company new recruits, I like how you leave a trail for 3 more obvious possibilities at least and I can't wait to find out who it actually is.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?But because I knew youI have been changed for good.

It's funny how some distanceMakes everything seem smallAnd the fears that once controlled meCan't get to me at allIt's time to see what I can doTo test the limits and break throughNo right, no wrong, no rules for meI'm free

Well, this should prove interesting...posting for the first time on TORC via a ubiquitous tablet - my oh my how the times have changed since I was a TORC whipper snapper! There was a time when I would have to skive time from work, which ironically impelled me to over perform so I wouldn't face blow back from the workplace.... Now, well entrenched in senior management, I can appear to be working on my electronic gadget and be skiving....

Rwhen and Earendil81, you continue to be very generous souls with my fellow writer and I.

We've been collaborating for some years now, though we took a very long hiatus for some years, so perhaps we're starting to emulate each other's style. You know, how people start to resemble their dogs or their spouse (assuming the two entities are not one and the same - and I can joke about that because I am an old married woman) .

It's great to hear our styles are not too disparate, as that can be quite disruptive. Another welcome element of feedback is on the twists and turns. I confess that the tension of the story telling arc is an area I find quite difficult to get right. More often than not, I miss it entirely...and the result is a tale that falls flat on its face (very unattractive) or a tale that is so tightly sprung it flies into a thousand, confusing pieces (exciting, but ultimately a great bloody mess no one wants to follow and I don't want to clean up). Fingers crossed we continue to tune the tension correctly. Out of interest, I find that the arc or tension for a RP or serial or ongoing collaboration is a very different beast to that of a novella or a proper, full length, grown up NOVEL.

As for twists and turns, or the emotional punch and the addictive hook, I go through periods where I am convinced what I am writing is predictable and mundane. Let's be honest, it's happened before and it will happen again. Perhaps I am overly sensitive to sameness because I am "in" the story. I'm playing with storylines, events, futures and pasts all the time, cooking something up or discarding a concept. Because I'm "in" the tale, it doesn't take me by surprise. I am pleasingly surprised, however, that this is not the experience for those "outside" the tale. My favorite writers are those that can twist, whip out a surprise, pack an emotional punch, reel me in and leave me wanting more, more, MORE! Speculative fiction (fantasy and sci fi) is a genre dominated by cliches and formulas and archetypes writ large. Add to the fact that we're working within a remarkable man's legendrium (JRRT ROCKS), then the potential for mediocrity is huge.

Of course, taste is a personal thing. What appeals and reaches to and surprises you will not another person. There will be those out there that consider this tale trite, boring, predictable, badly constructed, poorly written and with really shoddy expression and spelling. At least, I sincerely hope there are. Because it's that diversity of readers the drives a diversity of writers. If you are out there, rock on!

OK - I think I've stolen enough time from work to make me feel like I am not totally owned by and sold out to "the man"...

Thanks again!

Oooooh - a warning.... The Henneth Annun version of this tale is written for an adult audience, if you take my meaning..

Gosh Parador! Too kind indeed! Thanks so much. It is great to be back around here, albeit in "limited release" compared to my earlier outings.

Alrighty...occurs to me that it may be time for a roll call...there are many characters in this tale...so here goes nothin' (fingers crossed I can keep tabs on all the threads). In no particular order, here they are:

Wulgof:Dunlanding. Standard Bearer - Medium Infantry. Former soldier in Saruman's army. Surrendered to the Rohirrim after Helms Deep.Was sent home after the war, and joined the Company not long afterward. Has taken Lochared under his wing.

Mulgov: Haradian. Sergeant - Heavy Infantry. Joined the Company during their first southern campaign to supress renagade tribal insurgents. The thick tropical lands made seeking and fighting hard. Arbitrarily adopted both Lochared and Rosmarin as Company pets, irrespective of what the pets may think about it, or the Company for that matter.

Morcal: Haradian. Soldier - infantry. Snuck onboard the Company ship by his cousin, Molguv, while Company was covertly deploying to deep southern Harad from Umbar. Healed by Rosmarin after a savage beating from Umbar's City Guards. Morcal joined the Company rather than being thrown overboard as a spy. Morcal has given no indication of being treacherous, yet is viewed with scepticism by some of the older serving Company members all the same.

Berlas: Ithilien Ranger and former guard of Emyn Arnen. Ranger. Joined the Company when they came back north from a long stint in Rhun and was recently in Minas Tirith. Motivations for his joining are subject to some conversation. Talk of an indiscretion of some sort dogs his steps.

Videgavia: Northman of Rhovanion. Lieutenant and assassin. Lived most of his young life in the wilds and only came to Dale and joined their army when the Easterlings became too numerous in the lands east. An original member of the Company, having been in Minas Tirith when Hanasian made his first call. A founding member of the Company therefore, and a man who was fond of silence.

Khule: Easterling from the Sagath clan of Rhun. Soldier. Was a commander of a legion in Sauron's army that attacked Dale. Joined the Company when they were fighting the warlord Khurg, his former commanding general, east of Rhun and proved invaluable in gaining the upper hand on him. After Khurg's arrest and jailing, Khule decided to stay with the men he had come to know as family.

Frea & Folca: Twins from Rohan. Sergeant, Cavalry. Both were young, teenage inexperienced soldiers from the Westmarch. Stationed at the Fords of Isen, their first battles was there. They did not make it to Helms Deep, but rode to war in Gondor with King Theoden. Both joined the Company in its early years when they met Hanasian during one of his visits to his sister and mother. Frea is notoriously dour and Folca equally even tempered.

Mecarnil: Dunedain, Ranger of Cardolan. Ranger. Sent by his lord (for political reasons) to serve in the War of the Ring, and was one of the thirty that rode south with Halbarad in aid of Chieftain Aragorn. Hanasian and Mecarnil knew each other in passing before this event, but became friends and comrades in battle during and afterward. After the marriage of Aragorn and Arwen, he returned to Imladris and the service of Cardolan's uncrowned king in the early years of the Fourth Age. Joined his Ranger comrade Hanasian in the Black Company after the deaths of Bereth and Verawyn and the loss of their infant daughter, Erian. Mecarnil is one of the few living Rangers from the Cardolanian realm, and he was sworn to personal protection of Bereth.

Lord Bereth:Numenorean, uncrowned king of Cardolan. Married to Lady Verawyn of similar unsullied descent and fathered crown princess Erian. Bereth was a proud, imperious, cold man who seemed more concerned with what was rightfully his rather than what was right. Perished in southern Dunland attempting to raise his claim to Cardolan's crown. His claim was proven without doubt by Elrohir and Elladan.

Lady Verawyn:Numenorean, consort and wife to Bereth, uncrowned queen of Cardolan. Verawyn was a mild, gentle woman possessed of powerful foresight. She warned her husband against his reach for his throne. Verawyn perished some days after Bereth, falling victim to the same attackers responsible for her husband's death. She was survived by their daughter, Erian.

Frochard: Rohan,Farmer. Husband to Romil, father to Lochared, foster father to Rosmarin (Erian). Died defending his wife and young family from Dunlending maurauders.

Romil: Dunlending (aduanic).Farmer. Wife to Frochard, mother to Lochared, foster mother to Rosmarin. Died protecting her two young children from Dunlending maurauders.

Naiore Dannan: Noldorin Elf,Ravenor of Mordor, her final trail brought Hanasian and his men across Elladan and Elrohir who in turn led them to the unsucessful bid to retrieve Erian.

Simra Argahet: Khandeseprincess, her abduction from the Forsaken Inn by Khandese rebels drew Hanasian and his men south in pursuit of Simra and the one deemed responsible: Naiore Dannan. It was this trail that led Hanasian to Dunland and Elrond's Sons. Simra died in Pelagir, and through her death the defeat of the rebels and end of Naiore Dannan

Belegost - Gondorian, Medium Infantry. Joined as a young soldier of Gondor, too young to have served in the War of the Ring, when the Company was on their way south in pursuit of Simra and her captors. He hoped to “see some action”. Much like Boromir son of Denethor in demeanor. A steady hand and a stable mind, and tends to keep to himself.

Anras of Gondor - Gondorian,Light Infantry. Joined when the company was in pursuit of Simra and her captors. Dedicated to the Company, he fought well in close situations. A worthy man to have your back. Anras fell in the Battle of Rhun

Anbor of Ithilien - Ithilien Ranger and former guard of Emyn Arnen. Ranger. Served with Berlas in Ithilien. Accepted service with Lord Voromir, Leaping Stag, and subsequently promoted to the High King's Guard due to his prowess. Granted leave to join the Company in Pelagir, after proving valuable in providing the Company intelligence on Voromir's intentions towards Rin. Seemed a little too eager to join the Company, but was too good to decline when the Company was short of hands and facing imminent deployment to Harad. Anbor fell in battle, deep in Southern Harad.

Daius and Donius of Anfalas - Gondorian. Infantry. The Company's second set of brothers who have a knack of finding things, and making things work. Their skills could be useful when some ingenious engineering was needed. Joined in Pelagir immediately before deployment to Harad.

Farbarad - Dunedain, Ranger of Cardolan. Ranger. Withheld by his lord (for political reasons) from service in the War of the Ring, Farbarad is kinsman with Mecarnil and is the only other Cardolanian Ranger known to survive. Sworn to the protection of Erian, and believing her lost in Dunland, Farbarad wandered dissolutely for many years. Travelled south to Pelagir on news of trouble in Harad and the High King's call to arms, in a bid to save himself as much as anything else, and found his once infant charge was very much alive. Joined the Company immediately prior to deployment to Harad.

Foldine & Gian - Rohan (Foldine) and Gondor (Gian), Corporal Cavalry (Foldine), Soldier Infantry (Gian). Company men injured in surprise orc attack outside of Tharbad. Treated in the field by Rin, they were left in Tharbad to recover owing to the severity of their injuries. Re-joined the Company in Pelagir immediately prior to deployment. Gian fell in battle, deep in Southern Harad

Bear: Gondor, Heavy Infantry. Injured in orc ambush outside of Tharbad and treated in the field by Rin. Bear was not expected to survive, however managed to recover and re-joined the Company in Pelargir immediately prior to deployment. A man who is more at home at war than anywhere else, a career soldier who is often considered the Enforcer of the Company.

Rowdy: Gondor, Infantry. Joined the Company under Videgavia's recruitment drive. Has the uncanny ability to almost disappear unless you happen to be looking at him directly. A man of near legendary silence, a rival to Videgavia.

Ugly Ducklings: Various, medics. Three men hand picked by Hanasian to supplement Rin's medical services to the Company. Two Bells is a youth by all standards, slightly terrified of his mistress and desperate to prove himself. Bells is a dab hand at potions. Rocks is steady handed, cynical and unflappable, a bit of an allrounder in terms of medical skill. Sparks is an enigma of a man, but one of the best cutters Rin has seen and he knows it.

The Black Cats:Various, assassins and thieves. Videgavia tasked Rin with bring the Company's newly recruited women into order and Rin did so with startling success.

Runner: Easterling, Scout. Loch forged an unexpected strong friendship with this younger member of the Easterlings that Khule made Honorary Company members. While young, Runner has seen a great deal in his tender years and it is this grounding that gives him a commonality of experience with Loch.

Dorghat: Easterling, Scout. One of the youngest of the Honorary Company members. Dorghat is either an uncannily gifted scout or uncannily fortunate youth. Dorghat is one of Runner's squad of scouts and somewhat enamoured of the Company Healer.

Ravenclaw:Mixed Khandese, Harad and Numenorean, Assassin. One of the stand out recruits in Videgavia's drive. Through the years he became specialized in ways of killing and fighting, and also when he could, served on private ship as a paid soldier and sailor. Things were boom and bust for Hamoor as he got paid for jobs and spent his money, but after his last job, he lingered in Pelargir, and eventually came to Minas Tirith. He has met Rin once, and Hanasian is not so sure of Ravenclaw.

Cullith:Numenor - Cardolan, younger brother of Verawyn and uncle to Rosmarin. A known trouble maker, critical of Cardolan's inner circle of power and ambitions and inclined to speak his mind. As the years proved dark, so too did he darken, and proved himself capable of particularly unsavoury deeds if he thought the ends justified them. Once he discovered his niece yet lived, he threw himself into preserving her from the wolves he knew circled. His final act likely unleashed the very horrors he was attempting to keep from her path. Cullith's life was one of promise and potential defeated, as much by himself as those around him.

Silver Fox:Numenor - Cardolan, Chief Counsellor to Bereth. Malagorn is a man of brilliant wit and cunning. He was perhaps even more fervent in his desire for Cardolan to resume its rightful place than its uncrowned king. He is a master statesman and had an iron grip over Bereth's other counsellors. Mecarnil and Farbarad both considered him a salient danger to their respective charges. Farbarad considered him ultimately responsible for fanning the flames of Bereth's ambition and entirely capable of murdering Bereth's only heir when she proved to be female. Were it not for Mecarnil's restraint, Farbarad would have killed Bereth and Silver Fox both. It remains to be seen just how Silver Fox will attempt to reignite his ambitions.

Babble: Anorien, Infantry. Babble joined the Company under Videgavia's recruitment push for one reason only: women. His particular interest in the Company Healer brought the talkative man to unfortunate prominence early on in his service. The Company's older hands took action to kerb interest in "their" Healer and as a result Babble now has a permanent lisp. Molguv took the man under his particular wing to keep a close eye on him and made him a Corporal so he could watch his every move.

Loch's parents (Frochard of Rohan and Romil of Dunland) had only one son and Lochared was it. A lively, happy go lucky child, he became foster brother when he was four years of age to a foundling his parents discovered in their barn. The small family swiftly closed in around the infant girl, barely a year old, and Loch knew her only as his younger sister, Rosmarin. The events that had stolen his sister's birth parents from her would steal his own and his parents would not survive to tell their son and foster daughter of her true origins. Through his mother's cleverness, his father's bravery, he managed to elude the attackers and bring his young sister with him. He was eight years old. The ensuing years proved difficult. Of mixed heritage, no one would take him and his sister in. Their first winter nearly proved their last. Somehow they survived on a blend of fortune, their own resourcefulness and resilience, and occasionally the kindness of strangers.

Loch did what he had to so as to survive. He assumed the role of protector and provider for his younger, vulnerable sister. They begged, stole, borrowed and cheated. They slept rough, grew wild, and acquired a range of skills dubious and honourable in this process. Loch has an indomitable sense of good cheer, the baffling ability to find food of any sort any where, and a certain rakish charm. He is good natured, easy to get along with, inclined to bouts of recklessness, fond of laughter. However, he never speaks of the terrible events that drove him from his home and they haunt him like demons now. Steadfast and loyal, Loch is an accomplished hunter and tracker. He has become a skilled scout, a quick study, and well liked by nearly every member of the Black Company. He is a tall man, though not as tall as the Dunedain, with a sizeable spread to his shoulders.

Loch is a survivalist. He fights hard, and has the ability to succumb to battle lust, the berserker fever, when hard pressed. One thing never fails to produce this terrifying result, and that is any threat to the one person who has stuck by him through thick and thin: his sister.

Rosmarin (Rin) and Erian:Dunedain,Company Healer, Crown Princess of the high court, uncrowned queen of Cardolan by birthright.

Rin's early years were always going to be marked by trouble, even before she was born. The only child and therefore heir of the king of Cardolan, she was bartered as chattle to secure her father's bid to resurrect his throne. Bereth always planned on having a son to carry on after him. The fates were not so kind. Rin was abandoned at last recourse by her mother, in a barn on a remote farm in southern Dunland. Her mother always intended to return for her, once the marauders had been thrown off. Sadly, this was not to be and Rin was an orphan and on her own by her first birthday.

Those that survived believed Rin lost. Several attempts to return were defeated by the Dunlendings. By the time the Sons of Elrond had located her and returned with Hanasian's Black Company, it was too late. The farm had been attacked and there was no sign of any survivors. The royal line of Cardolan was deemed to have failed. What noone knew is that a small boy, aged 8 years old and of mixed Dunlending and Rohan heritage, had saved this scion of Cardolan and would protect her through the perils of the years that would follow.

As the years passed, Rin showed particular natural talent in medicine. Her agile fingers and swift mind also made her an accomplished thief. Together with her foster brother, Rin and Loch somehow survived but never really rose too far from the edge. While Loch sealed the tragedy of the attack on his parents away, Rin was left in deep shock that saw her silent for three years. In this time, a profound mistrust of armed men developed. It would mean that not once did the orphans seek aid from the authorities and eluded detection until desperation and Loch's cunning brought that to a close.

Rin is the yang to Loch's yin in many ways. She is quick tempered, impatient, and slow to trust others. She keeps her own counsel and is habitually secretive.

Rosmarin has an aversion to anyone using her full name aside from those few she permits within her inner circle. She never takes up her birth name, even after it becomes known to her and the wider Reunited Realm and indeed hopes to outrun it at some point, never really comfortable with who she is really supposed to be.

Rin is highly intelligent, keeps to herself and is rarely given to outbursts. When they happen they tend to be notable. Rin does nothing by halves. She trusts few people in life.

She has, as one soldier puts it, spit. She's not afraid to confront something or someone if she thinks it necessary but will opt to elude wherever possible any confrontation. Rin has a pronounced contempt for people in power who fail to do what she considers the right thing to do. She can be blunt and scathing in her assessment of such individuals.

While she can be all sharp edges with anyone she doesn't like or who frightens her, she is remarkably tender with those she trusts and cares for.

And as for the man she loves most of all...his writer/owner will shape that before I add it.

While on the phone today (and stuck on hold) I passed the time reading your latest post in this thread. Then I had to read the one before that.

WOW!

You have me hooked and now I must join the others in reading your story and learning what I have missed out on.

So True the Arrow, So Steady the Hand

No word in your quiver goes errant, no thought from your bow is misspent, no image falls short of your target, so true are the arrows thus sent. Your heart with a steady compunction pulls the bowstrings few others could ply, your story does more than just function-- your steady hand helps my heart fly!

I hope it is not too twisty, turny! I have flirted with the idea of divesting this tale with the Tolkien-esque components and transforming it into something wholly new.

My collaborator and I discuss it periodically. It could be done, but it would be a mountain of work. Aside from de-Tolkienizing it, consistency of perspective would be needed. The very nature of how we write this, two contributors taking turn about, means that our perspectives shift about a little too much. We adjust for it when reading in forums such as this, but in a "proper book" it would throw many readers.

Perhaps, when I no longer need a day job, we might embark on the task. Perhaps...

All that said, I do apologise if it bounces about too much for you when you read. There is a LOT going on right now. We have a whiteboard filled with the key points, the arc, the outcomes, now and over the way in the future, to keep it straight in our heads and we're the ones who own the ideas and characters. I shudder to think what it might be like for a reader. Not overly complex, I cravenly beg the Writing Muses. PLEASE!

The only offset to being overly complex is the ability to craft a perfect wall of words, rather in James Joyce's style. I am a long way short of that.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?But because I knew youI have been changed for good.

It's funny how some distanceMakes everything seem smallAnd the fears that once controlled meCan't get to me at allIt's time to see what I can doTo test the limits and break throughNo right, no wrong, no rules for meI'm free

Deep down, Rin appreciates your empathy. She has a hard time showing it though, and is inordinately fearful of appearing weak or pitiful. She has seen and learnt what happens when one is seen as weak or pitiful.

I aim to keep the momentum up, but given significant events in other areas of life, it may not be possible. I shan't bleat about it here. Just a heads up that if that occurs, this will not be forgotten and I hope I can count on your patience to bear with the tale.

every installment is worth the wait elora, I hope that it is nothing too concerning that will take you away but no matter what it is good luck if you need some and do not worry about us.
We've been here 10 years, we can hang on a little while longer to wait for your writing

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?But because I knew youI have been changed for good.

It's funny how some distanceMakes everything seem smallAnd the fears that once controlled meCan't get to me at allIt's time to see what I can doTo test the limits and break throughNo right, no wrong, no rules for meI'm free

Thanks Earendil....credit where credit is due. That last post is my co-writer's, not mine. He was grinning like a loon yesterday afternoon and uttered the immortal words "i have an idea"...when I saw late last night what he had cooked up...Oh. My. Goodness!

Now, remains to be seen if I can rise to the challenge he has set. What a corker!

Still following eagerly.I love how you make me laugh even at a moment when there that owwwww feeling that overwhelms.Beautiful writing from you and your partner in crime. Loving every word of it Thank you.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?But because I knew youI have been changed for good.

It's funny how some distanceMakes everything seem smallAnd the fears that once controlled meCan't get to me at allIt's time to see what I can doTo test the limits and break throughNo right, no wrong, no rules for meI'm free

Dear all, my co-writer and I apologise for the delay of late. We have experienced a bereavement in our immediate family, I am sorry to say. Things may continue at this slower rate for now, or not. The pulse of grief is unpredictable.

I daresay it has given you some time to catch up, or re-read. Just wanted to you to know we haven't forgotten about you or abandoned this work. This a tale we mean to finish, come what may.

That was a sad and gruelling post elora. Beautiful - that seems somewhat weird to write - and heart wrenching... these characters might not have been the leading roles but one grows attached to these ones who make the story come together... sad to see these three gone and the others too but still.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better?But because I knew youI have been changed for good.

It's funny how some distanceMakes everything seem smallAnd the fears that once controlled meCan't get to me at allIt's time to see what I can doTo test the limits and break throughNo right, no wrong, no rules for meI'm free

Thanks much! I have to pass full credit onto my co-writer. He came up with those twists all on his own and caught me by surprise too. But, macabre as this may seem, they just worked so well.

I'll really miss Rowdy. I consider him still to be bat boy, in accordance with Rin's uncharitable early speculation that the man hung from the ceiling of cave in order to rest (he was just so preternaturally quiet and unflappable that even this failed to get under his skin).

Wow! Don't know how I have managed to miss this tale here in the Scriptorium for so long! I must be going blind. At any rate I would like to congratulate you, elora, on such a fine contribution as this story of yours to the world of Tolkien fan-fiction. I have only read the first couple posts thus far but will try and sink my teeth into it a bit more over the next few weeks; perhaps I might even have a comment or two for you (for what it's worth, anyway).